The Stream, March 26: Water Spills From Oil Sands Project in Canada

Canada Oil Sands
An unknown volume of water has been released from a holding pond at Suncor Energy’s oil sands project in Alberta, Reuters reported. The water was released into the Athabasca River, though it is unclear if the water contained toxic materials.

China Water Pollution
Another wave of dead animals has hit China’s waterways, with more than 1,000 dead ducks found in Sichuan’s Nanhe River on Sunday, Bloomberg News reported, citing the Xinhua News Agency. The river is not used for drinking water, the report said.

Pakistan Water Supply
Record winter rainfall has replenished water supplies for Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, pushing the city’s Rawal Dam to its highest winter level in 30 years, according to AlertNet. Years of water shortages have pushed residents to drill boreholes, depleting groundwater supplies.

UK’s Wet Summer Bad for Butterflies
An excessively wet summer last year may have contributed to as much as a 98 percent decline in some butterfly populations in the United Kingdom, the Guardian reported. Fifty-two out of 56 native species recorded population declines, which are also attributed to habitat loss and intensive agriculture.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek